Another radio question....
- Thread starter PC31
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Phil was dropped from The Greystone Blvd studios(560) in 2013 for reasons that had nothing to do with Lawton Swan's show.
Lawton's Clemson Sports Talk show has been on 1400 for the last 4 years, but this past January LJ Smith gave him and Willie P(the guy who replaced KMac on Sportstalk) a show on 560 after the SC News Network went through their issues.
Last week Willie P found out he no longer had a job and the 6-8 WVOC show was canceled. Lawton remains on 1400 at the Greystone studios doing CLEMSON Sports talk
Lawton's Clemson Sports Talk show has been on 1400 for the last 4 years, but this past January LJ Smith gave him and Willie P(the guy who replaced KMac on Sportstalk) a show on 560 after the SC News Network went through their issues.
Last week Willie P found out he no longer had a job and the 6-8 WVOC show was canceled. Lawton remains on 1400 at the Greystone studios doing CLEMSON Sports talk
Radio is not a business you want to be in right now. It isn't his fault, but selling radio now days is hard due to many businesses finding cheaper ways to advertise through social media.
Trying to compete against Kornblut in this state is very hard and locally they were competing against a well established Heath Cline show.
I have no doubt he lands on his feet somewhere. Maybe not in our market, but he will get a job
I can't get 1400 either @Rollerdude123
Glad to hear Levin back on 560 at 6pm and the clemp show gone.
Glad to hear Levin back on 560 at 6pm and the clemp show gone.
Can't see the Willie guy sticking around here. Maybe back to the Midwest where he's from.
I'd hate to be in regular radio at all. I pay for Sirius radio and listen to it 99% of the time.
Sirius, podcasts, and streaming outlets like Tune In have hurt the business too. Radio is where newspapers were 20 years ago. Many hosts and station managers are failing to adjust to new technology and massive cuts have come.
If anyone is brave enough to venture into radio you better be ready to sell your own ads. It is the only way you will survive longterm
When I use to listen to WVOC in the mornings, I recall those guys doing a lot of commercials themselves - pretty much every 5-10 minutes. They sounded like car salesman, not radio people. Got sick of that and just quit listening totally.
I don't mind A FEW ads- I like to support local business.
I do understand Gamecocks dont like a Clemson show, but Lawton Swan works his butt off and is a good guy. He has established a brand and is one of the hardest working guys(if not the hardest working) in radio locally. He produces and sells all his content, which is something many dont do.
If you want to make fun of Clemson though I dont blame ya. Lol
At 560 you didnt have money if you didnt sell ads. No salary or anything. You were an independent contractor where you were given 4 30 second spots an hour to sell plus read spots. If you didnt do ads you would starve
I think the sporte radio business hit its peak around 2007ish. Which in Columbia is when we had 3 legit sports stations in town.
It is not a business I would recommend any college kid enter into now. Especially if you can not sell
Teddy is the only real Indy surviving. Teddy is very well known locally though and has decades worth of relationships with businesses. Teddy is a big part of this community and can walk into many businesses and be known without even saying his name.
But even then the money had to be awful for someone like Teddy. No retirement, no company perks, nothing at all except a freebie from a sponsor ever so often.
Exactly. Honestly, radio as an Independent is fantastic as a part time gig. Can be a fun way to earn some extra money and never feel like you are working. If you are expecting a 40 year career and retiring nicely then you better find your way into a management role or hope you are someone like Matt Barrie or Mike Morgan and land national gigs
To give y'all an idea how hard it is in 2019. Local stations in town will charge $1,000 an hour for someone to lease airtime. So if you or your buddies wanted to host a show you pay the station $1,000 and then pray you can find $1,000 worth of ads for that spot.
This folks is why you have 1 sports station in town. The risk isnt worth the reward. Now, 107.5 is the flagship of USC, has producers, a sales team, and obviously a financial backing. It is why the production quality you hear on that station is more advanced than elsewhere
This folks is why you have 1 sports station in town. The risk isnt worth the reward. Now, 107.5 is the flagship of USC, has producers, a sales team, and obviously a financial backing. It is why the production quality you hear on that station is more advanced than elsewhere
Culumulis(107.5, B106), Alpha(Fox 102, Big DM), Iheart(WNOK, Steve FM, WCOS, WVOC), and Midlands Media(The Lake, The Dude) are your main radio companies in town. Outside of Cumulus I can tell you for a fact none of the other 3 have any interest in bringing back a sports radio station. None of them feel they cal sell it
Cohen was very popular and still is. I mean this guy has interviewed multiple presidents. KEven hustles for every penny he makes. He is a fascinating guy to sit down with if you are into politics and listen to stories. I believe he nearly had some stations nationally that were going to syndicate his show
Keven did nothing wrong to get let go at 560. It was just a business move that happens in radio. Sometimes stations just feel changes need to be made for 1 reason or another.
The man is a prime example of hardwork in that business though.
103.7 in Little Rock is a strong station and Tommy Craft works hard on ESPN Arkansas Radio. Josh Bertuccini on The Ticket in Nwa works hard too.
Bo Mattingly leaving radio for his digital stuff hurt the state though.
I really miss Shawn Arnell in that market. Super nice man and very talented. Shawn getting out of radio was sad to see as he was one of the best CFB guys nationally
Having been on several shows in that state I can tell you the media works closer together in Arkansas. They are all working together for 1 team that is the number 1 identity in that state
I agree. I message Keven quite often and talk to him.
I just knew so many people in the Columbia area that listened to his show on WVOC - including many businesses that had his show on in the afternoon. He was very friendly with many movers and shakers and seemed a natural at WVOC. I like his work on his new station but it's a weak signal.
Instead, WVOC replaced him with another national talking head that repeated the same stuff as every other talking head on that station.
National syndication is the route not only talk stations are taking, but music radio too. Think about all the great music DJs of the 80s. How many young music DJs exist today? Local talent was let go in favor of national syndication Unfortunately.
What every happened to that Andy Thomas guy? He was at WVOC a few times, then had his own "network" and then disappeared. I heard he had quite a difficult personality. Haven't heard from him in about a decade.
That's a name from the past. I have no idea though. He seemed to do very well in the 90s at WVOC. I'm not sure how many folks realize how powerful WVOC is nationally. It is one of the more powerful conservative radio stations. Honestly really cool to hear the stories from older guys at that place. Not cool to have Governor Rick Perry's security confront me outside of studio one day while I was chatting with another host at my truck. Lol
Does Phil really need to work or does he just like to work? He made a ton of money back in the day when his recruiting info was syndicated in newspapers around the state and then he had his talk show for many years. I know he has a beach house and an ex wife so I gather he still has bills.
I'm too young to remember that, but that's interesting now since both are in the same studios. I am old enough to remember the old WNOK Boombox
They were my favorite rock and country stations in the '80s as a kid. KIX 96 was a competing country station then turned sister station to WCOS in the 90s. That's all I can add.
I remember WCOS was "The Great 98" 98.5. Kicks 96 was 96.7(which is now Steve). WNOK was huge in the MTV era of music
As I became a teen I remember Rock 93.5 became big in the alternative music era of the 90s . So all my friends left WNOK and started listening to 93.5
Did they think you were a security threat to a guy that 98% of South Carolina residents wouldn't recognize?
Maybe they didnt like my take on Texas A&M protesting on statehouse grounds that year. In all seriousness they completely over reacted
That's great but Clemson's awful. Sooner that show goes off the air in Columbia the better
Benji took a job with Alpha media. He left on his own.
As for the programming on 107.5. Some like it, some don't. Personally, I haven't listened in a few years. It is the Home of the Gamecocks in Columbia, SC so it will naturally have an audience no matter who is on.
Radio doesnt pay enough and isnt secure enough a job for people to be begging for a spot somewhere. I'm sure some would love to do it and love to give it a try
No idea if Jay has to sell. I do no for a fact that about 4 years ago I sent him a message about advertising a business. He messaged back that he would forward my information to their sales team. I never heard back from anyone
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